1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the configuration of a computing device and more particularly to the automatic configuration of devices based on the environment to which the devices are connected or in which the devices are placed.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the primary benefits produced by standards organizations is the ability for different devices to work together according to an established standard. For example, conventional personal computers can communicate with many different brands and types of printers, so long as the personal computer and printer are designed using a common standard and the drivers for the printer are contained within the personal computer. However, one of the drawbacks associated with the interchangeability of peripheral devices is that the primary device must be manually configured to operate with each of the different peripheral devices that are connected at a given point in time.
Some advances have been made toward automatic configuration of the primary device. For example, devices compliant with the “Plug-and-play” standard can work with the Windows 95 operating system (available from Microsoft Corp., Redmond Wash., U.S.A.) without the need to be manually configured by the user. Instead, at start up or connection of a device, the operating system recognizes the devices that are attached to the personal computer and, if the drivers for the devices have not been installed, the system automatically attempts to install the drivers to allow the personal computer to communicate with that type and model peripheral device.
However, such automated configuration is limited to the installation of the appropriate drivers and software to merely permit use of the connected device. There is a need for a system that will automatically configure the primary device to alter its system configuration and/or its associated user interface depending upon the environment in which the primary device finds itself located or connected to. The invention described below satisfies such a need and provides a device that automatically configures itself and its user interface depending on the specific peripheral or peer devices in which the primary device finds itself directly or indirectly connected to.